Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Appropriate sources of information may include:
AS/NZS 3598:2000
BS EN 16001:2009
Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)
International standards for environmental management - Life cycle assessment
AS/NZS ISO 14040:1998
AS/NZS ISO 14041:1999
AS/NZS ISO 14042:2001
AS/NZS ISO 14043:2001
AS/NZS ISO 14048:2003
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice EPA/600/R-06/060 May 2006.
Goal may include:
establishing baseline information for a process
guiding new product development to reduction of resources and emissions
identifying gaps in data
providing information on trade-offs of alternative processes, products and materials
ranking relative contribution of individual processes
selecting best product, process or service with least effect on human health and the environment
supporting product certification.
Information may include:
changes to be made to reduce specific environmental impacts
impacts relevant to stakeholders and interested parties
products or processes which cause the least environmental impact
technologies or processes which cause least detrimental impact:
smog
acid rain
particulates
aquatic pollution.
Specificity may relate to:
enterprise-specific versus generic products
internal enterprise use or public purposes
product-specific data versus generic data
product-specific versus generic study.
Data organisation may include:
equivalent use as the basis for comparison
a functional unit that appropriately describes the function of the product or process being studied
volume or weight as the basis for comparison.
Scope of the study may include:
manufacturing
materials manufacture
packaging and distribution
product fabrication
raw materials acquisition
recycling and waste management
use, re-use and maintenance
variants:
cradle-to-grave
cradle-to-gate
economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIOLCA)
gate-to-gate
well-to-wheel.
Ground rules may include:
define the systems analysed
documenting assumptions or decisions made throughout the project
methodology used
quality assurance procedures:
available time and level of resources
internal review
external review
formal review process
reporting requirements
setting of boundaries
software used for modelling:
EcoLab
GaBi Software
SimaPro
stating the basis for comparison.
Flow diagram may include:
all alternatives under consideration:
baseline system
alternative systems
boundaries
mapping inputs and outputs (material and energy) to a process or system
subsystems.
Data collection plan may include
defining the data quality goals
developing a data collection worksheet or spreadsheet:
data collection procedures
data quality measures
geographic scope
presentation of results
purpose of the inventory
system boundaries
types of data used
identifying data sources and types:
equipment and process specifications
equipment logs
journals
laboratory test results
meter readings from equipment
identifying data types:
measured
modelled
non-LCI data (data not intended for use in LCI)
non-site specific
sampled
vendor data
identifying data quality indicators:
completeness
consistency
precision.
Collect the actual data may include:
atmospheric emissions
conversion of fuel units into energy units
co-product allocation
data categories:
CO2 emissions
reporting emissions required by regulatory agencies
reporting of all emissions
direct contact with experts
efficiency of transportation mode:
conversion of tonne-kilometres into fuel units
litres (gallons) of diesel fuel
emissions generated from combustion of the fuels
energy input data
energy sources
illegal waste disposal included if data is available
industrial scrap
ISO 14041:6.5.3 (2004) allocation procedure
obtain non-specific inventory data
products
purchase LCI data
research
specific data versus composite data
site visits
solid wastes
transportation data:
conversion to ton-miles or tonne-kilometres
distance shipped
weight of shipment
waterborne wastes.
Evaluate and document may include:
air emissions
data parameter groups within a category
data parameters within a group:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
chlorine (Cl)
sulphur dioxide (SO2)
define boundaries set
define systems analysed
describing the methodology used in analysis
presentation of information:
graphical format
tabular format
water borne waste solid wastes.
Impact categories may include:
acidification
aquatic toxicity
global warming
resource depletion
stratospheric ozone depletion
terrestrial toxicity.
Classify LCI results may include:
assigning LCI results to impact categories:
CO2 emissions attributed to global warming
NO2 emissions attributed to ozone formation
SO2 emissions attributed to acidification.
Grouping may include:
sorting of indicators by characteristics, such as:
emissions:
air
water
location:
global
local
regional
sorting of indicators by a ranking system, such as:
high priority
medium priority
low priority.
Weighting may include:
determining weights to place on impacts
identifying the underlying values of the stakeholders
weighting methods:
analytic hierarchy process
modified Delphi technique
decision analysis using multi-attribute theory.
Evaluate and report LCIA results may include:
definition of systems analysed
description of methodology used in the analysis
description of the boundaries that were set
documentation of limitations
verify accuracy of LCIA results.
Significant issues may include:
essential contributions for life cycle stages to LCI or LCIA results:
individual unit processes
groups of processes
impact category indicators:
emissions
resource use
waste
inventory parameters:
emissions
energy use
waste.
Completeness check may include:
all relevant information and data needed for the interpretation are available and complete
develop checklist to indicate each significant area represented in results
organise data by:
life cycle stage
processes
type of data represented:
environmental release to air
raw materials energy
transportation.
Consistency check may include:
comparisons made on inconsistent data sources
comparisons made on data from different eras
data from plants using different technologies
data from technology based on different standards:
European
US.
Sensitivity check may include:
evaluation of the reliability of results using:
contribution analysis
sensitivity analysis
uncertainty analysis.
Results of the LCA study may include:
administrative Information
details of the practitioner who conducted the LCA study
date of report
definition of goal and scope
life cycle inventory analysis:
data collection
calculation procedures
life cycle impact assessment:
methodology
results of the impact assessment performed
life cycle interpretation:
results
assumptions and limitations
data quality assessment
critical review (internal and external):
details of reviewers and their affiliation
critical review reports
responses to recommendations.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
undertake a LCA for sustainability
undertake scoping and definition of goals of a LCA for sustainability
produce a LCI using relevant software and data collection strategies
use life cycle assessment and other software for researching and interpreting charts, flowcharts, graphs and other visual data and information
evaluate LCI and LCIA results, using completeness, consistency and sensitivity checks
make recommendations based on the results of the LCA study.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
sites on which planning, design and integration of sustainability may be carried out
relevant legislation, standards, guidelines, reports and equipment specifications and drawings
a range of workplace documentation and personnel, information and resources (such as compliance obligations, organisational plans, work responsibilities).
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
review of projects relating to conducting applied research conducted by the candidate
direct observation of candidate applying research skills
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of applied research.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
ICTSUS8237A Lead applied research in ICT sustainability.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.